Polyzoa

Abstract

Owing to the absence of any published accounts of the Polyzoa collected at Kerguelen Island by the Challenger, the American Transit of Venus, and the German Surveying and Transit of Venus Expeditions in 1874-75, the subjoined list treats exclusively of Mr. Eaton’s collection. The 26 or 27 species comprised in it are all of them inhabitants of the littoral or Laminarian zone, and were obtained with the grapple in Swain’s Bay and Observatory Bay. Of the whole number 17 or 18 belong to the suborder Cheilostomata , 9 to the Cyclostomata . No representative of the Ctenostomata was collected. The collection affords nine or ten forms previously undescribed; the remainder belong to a fauna which ranges from the southern extremity of S. America (which may be regarded as its “centre”) to New Zealand in a westerly direction, one or two species extending even farther, to Australia and the Cape of Good Hope. It is observable that no Arctic form has been brought from Kerguelen Island, although some have been met with further south, two instances of the occurrence of the Arctic Horneva lichenoides obtained during the voyage of H. M. SS. “Erebus” and “Terror” having been communicated to me by Sir J. Hooker. Mr. Eaton suspects their absence may be attributed to the shallowness of the areas searched by him, the greatest depth being not more than 10 fathoms.